It is well known that traffic congestion in and around metropolitan areas is a serious problem throughout the world. This problem is most critical during "rush hour", at which time numerous commuters attempt to enter and leave urban work centers. Various ideas have been tried to alleviate this situation, including the use of dedicated car-pool lanes, the staggering of work hours and work days, and financial incentives and penalties for those who help solve and compound the problem, respectively.
In many urban situations, traffic is congested in only one direction during rush hour, with one or more lanes in the opposite direction experiencing only light to moderate use. Various ideas have been implemented to better utilize the entire road surface during such congested periods. One idea is to use one or more lanes, usually center lanes, in both directions, and alternate the flow of traffic over such lanes to accommodate both "morning" and "evening" rush-hour periods. Different technologies have, in turn, been suggested or implemented to reverse traffic flow in accordance with the time of day, including overhead signs and surface-level barriers and indicators. These prior-art systems all present drawbacks, however. Illuminated signs and barriers are particularly expensive and difficult to install. As such, they must be used sparingly, and a vehicle operator may not see an indicator in time to realize the proper direction of travel, and an accident may occur. It is also possible to provide numerous lane-related indicators with a direction-changing capability, but this ordinarily leads to some form of centralized control or networking, which can also become expensive and hazardous should a malfunction occur.
Thus, there remains a need for a configurable highway divider system that is reliable yet inexpensive enough to avoid hazards through liberal application. Despite the availability of networking and computer control, traffic lane control may be one area where such sophisticated technology is either too expensive to install and maintain or too prone to malfunction to risk its use. An improved system would offer the flexibility of a more automated approach while including safeguards to ensure that potential hazards are avoided.